Some city officials and residents are pressing for added environmental protections and community benefits in the sprawling Dog's Head, the 4-square-mile area being primed for future development after its recent annexation into East Austin.

The details: Endeavor Real Estate Group is helming redevelopment of the more than 2,600-acre Dog's Head, largely an industrial mining area along the Colorado River, into a mixed-use district over several decades. Attorney Richard Suttle, representing Endeavor, likened its potential to a new city where developers "can almost do anything."

While billed by the city as a major boost for Austin's economic development prospects and revenue generation, recent developments in the Dog's Head have been routinely criticized by community members this spring and summer. On July 1, the city Environmental Commission unanimously asked to delay next steps in the city's approval process, launch environmental reviews and adopt a slate of ecological, building and oversight provisions for the area.

Blind and low vision travelers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport now have access to Aira Explorer, a free app that provides on-demand visual interpreting assistance throughout the travel process at AUS. 

How it works: The app connects travelers with a professionally trained visual interpreter and utilizes the traveler's smartphone camera and microphone to provide real-time assistance for a variety of travel-related tasks. Interpreters can: 

• Describe surroundings
• Read signs and information displays
• Help with navigation throughout the airport, including curbside drop-off locations, airline check-in counters, security checkpoints, and gates
• Locate amenities such as dining options, shops, bathrooms and pet relief areas

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas operates the state power grid, overseeing the flow of electricity to over 27 million customers. Yet ERCOT does not directly participate in Texas’ electric market or own any of the facilities that deliver power across the state.

The big picture: Power generation plants, transmission facilities and distribution lines are owned by outside companies, meaning that local power outages are typically isolated and handled by individual companies, rather than ERCOT.

How it works: In 1999, Texas legislators passed a law deregulating the state’s retail electric market. The law was designed to “introduce competition in Texas’ electric market by allowing consumers to choose their retail electric provider,” according to ERCOT.

Previously, most Texas utility companies owned all aspects of the electric supply chain, including generation, transmission and the delivery of power to customers.

Today, approximately 85% of electric customers in Texas can choose their retail electric provider, including those across the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth regions. Customers in Austin and San Antonio get their electricity from municipally owned utilities.